Final Fantasy VIII: The Final Duel
by Brawler Zell Dincht
Summary: Squall is slain by Seifer... Zell takes up Griever and the gunblade, and takes Squall's place as the leader, after undergoing a serious personality swing. Zell finally pronounces his love for Rinoa and together they defeat Seifer and set Squall to peace.
1. Chapter I: The Final Duel

Chapter I: The Final Duel  
  
Squall gripped the handle of his gunblade tightly, staring at the warm blue glow of Lionheart's blade. Why did he have to fight…? Was it really necessary…? Squall shook the thought off his mind. He had no time to think – Seifer was running straight at him, gunblade raised and prepared to strike. Squall swiftly raised Lionheart to block Seifer's horizontal- slash, still unable to focus. If they did have to fight… why did it have to be in this field… the special field… with Rinoa watching…? Everyone else watching didn't worry him, but Rinoa only made him nervous; would he make himself look like a moron? What would she think of him? Squall snapped back to reality, just in time to block another blow that could very well have cost him his life. Squall forced himself to focus on the fight. Shifting his weight from his back leg to his front leg, Squall started to fight back rather than just defend himself from Seifer's steady attacks. He knew that one of them would die in this fight – Squall couldn't waste his time thinking of anything else. He switched his stance quickly, whenever Seifer did, so that he would be able to block, parry, and attack correctly. But it was then that Seifer did something Squall didn't expect: he ran. Squall whirled Lionheart slightly as he sprinted after him in pursuit.  
  
Watching from afar, Zell looked around at everyone else's shocked face. "WHAT!? The hell's Seifer think he's doing!?" he yelled out loud, just as Raijin turned to face him. "That just ain't like Seifer, ya know? He'd never run from a fight, 'specially not against Squall, ya know? He's gotta have somethin' up his sleeve." To which Fujin answered whole-heartedly "CORRECT." Irvine, watching from their magical cell suspended in the air, sighed, knowing that they were right. If Squall didn't watch his guard, they might not ever see him again.  
  
Squall was losing him. Seifer slowly pulled ahead every step they took. Squall dashed harder, pushing himself to his limit. To his surprise, Seifer stopped and turned around, holding out his hand to cast the Fire spell, an evil smirk on his face. Squall recognized the situation and tried to stop himself from running, but it was too late. The Fire spell hit Squall with so much force he was flung to the ground, dropping Lionheart, wincing in pain. Seifer closed his eyes to savor the moment, raised his gunblade for the strike, and slashed.  
  
He missed.  
  
Seifer jolted his eyes open in surprise, slashed again.  
  
Again, Squall dodged it, rising to his feet.  
  
Seifer's eyes flashed with anger, and he slashed at Squall again and again, not caring whether he hit or not. Squall managed to block most of them, but one struck him, leaving a large gash in his right shoulder, and it was incredibly painful – it stung and bled, leaving Squall's right arm weak. He began to slash back at Seifer, blocking his attempts at the same time. Squall slashed hard upon Seifer's left shoulder, leaving a large slash on him. Seifer awoke from his anger, letting out a short yell of pain, beginning to fight less recklessly. Seifer blocked Squall's efforts to slash at him again, and jammed his elbow into Squall's stomach fiercely, knocking him back. Squall, stumbling backward, began to think again… Rinoa… does she think I'm stupid? I must've made a fool of myself… I should have seen that coming… I've been letting everyone down… all of them…  
  
Just then, adrenaline coursed through Squall's veins, as he prepared to use Renzokuken. Squall felt the pain from his wounds and bruises vanish, as he tried to concentrate all his energy on this one attack. He dashed forward, slashing downward, to the left, to the right, upward, downward again, and then at a slant, bringing Lionheart from a low right angle to the upper left angle triumphantly.  
  
Blocked. Blocked. Blocked. Blocked. Blocked. The last slash, blocked.  
  
Squall, in surprise, stopped momentarily, but did not recover in time. He felt Seifer's gunblade pierce his chest, thrusting through his body. Squall opened his mouth slightly, letting out a groan in pain, and when Seifer pulled his gunblade out of Squall's body, he dropped to his knees, clutching the wound on his chest. Blood soaked his shirt and jacket, covering his hands. He felt a sense of nausea, and choked it away, but no sooner did he do this, than did his world shatter and darkness collapse around him. He fell to the ground, lifeless.  
  
Rinoa dropped to her knees in the magical cell suspended in the air, buried her face in her hands, and cried. 


	2. Chapter II: Legacy of the Lionhearted

Chapter II: Legacy of the Lionhearted  
  
The magical cell lowered to the ground and the walls disappeared. Fujin and Raijin ran over to Seifer, congratulating him. Zell was the first one to make it over to Squall's lifeless body, Rinoa second. Zell knelt by his side, sighing and cursing lightly under his breath. Rinoa, however, dropped by his side and threw herself on him, crying and using whatever cure spells she could, to no avail. Zell glanced around at the others, who stood, staring at Squall's body, wearing sad, somber looks on their faces. He clenched his fists, wondering why nobody else cared like he and Rinoa did. Zell, in a blind fury, wrenched Lionheart from Squall's hands, spinning it several times to get used to the feel, and rushed at the "Disciplinary Committee", with Lionheart held high. Fujin turned just in time to throw her pinwheel at him, slowing him down some, but not nearly enough. Zell felt Fujin's pinwheel slice him, but ignored the pain, vowing upon his life to avenge Squall. Raijin quickly turned and tried to attack him, but Zell dodged with a quick pivot and slashed at him with the flat of Lionheart's blade, knocking Raijin to the ground. Zell turned to see Seifer running away, apparently too tired from his previous battle to continue fighting. At that moment, Fujin hurled her pinwheel at Zell, but not fast enough. Zell calmly positioned the blade of Lionheart at the correct block angle, stood unmoving. Fujin's pinwheel struck the blade of Lionheart square onto the blade, and split in half before it managed to reach Zell's body. Raijin scrambled up to stand, and dashed off after Seifer, as did Fujin.  
  
Irvine, still standing next to Squall's body, noticed something immensely different about Zell. There was a calmer, more controlled air about him, and it made him less "Zell-like". Irvine gasped to himself as he realized who Zell now reminded him of, "Squall!" he shouted out loud. The others around him heard, turning to face him. Irvine turned to look at them and tried to explain. "Zell's becoming just like Squall! Can't you guys tell?" He looked around at everyone, seeing their eyes widen as they began to understand… Squall's spirit had been moved to Zell. They stared as Zell walked back over to them. Zell let out a sigh and stared at Squall's body, kneeling down as he took Squall's necklace and ring, putting them on himself. He held Griever in his palm, shutting his eyes for a moment. Without a word, he walked off, resuming his hunt for Seifer and the rest of the Disciplinary Committee.  
  
Seifer, Fujin and Raijin rushed back to Galbadia Garden as fast as they could. Seifer and Raijin cursed wildly, never expecting to see Zell become so serious. He was different; that much was clear. Seifer, despite his exhaustion, reached the entrance to Galbadia Garden first. He rushed inside and made his way to the old, run down cafeteria, Raijin and Fujin following close behind. The two of them saw Seifer, his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. "He's never been like that. That's not the chicken-wuss I used to know…" Seifer managed to say through heavy pants for air. Raijin nodded, fetching several glasses of water for himself and two extra glasses for Seifer and Fujin. "Yeah…" was all he could manage to say. Fujin took a seat at a table, apparently deep in thought. Seifer took the glass of water from Raijin graciously, yet with a sense of urgency, finishing it in only several gulps. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he sat down at the table, motioning for Raijin to take a seat. "We have to plan… they're not taking Squall's death like I expected – not all of them, at least." 


	3. Chapter III: A Hero's Death

Chapter III: A Hero's Death  
  
"Zell! Wait up!" Irvine yelled out, running after Zell. Zell slowed to a halt, slowly letting his anger and fury subside. He turned around to see everyone following him: Irvine, followed closely by Rinoa, Selphie, and Quistis. He let out a sigh, coming to the realization that he was the leader now. He didn't want to be leader, nor did he really choose to be. All he wanted to do was avenge Squall's death – but before that could be done, Squall had to be put to rest properly. Zell waited for everyone to catch their breath and he began to walk back to where they had so carelessly left Squall's body. "We have to give Squall a proper funeral…" He managed to word out, and nobody argued. They followed in solemn silence; a rare thing for the group, considering Selphie and Rinoa were usually quite cheerful. They made their way into the depths of Edea's garden, Squall's body seen easily amongst the flowers – at least, his position could be seen. The flowers his blood had flowed onto had almost doubled in size, and stood with an air of pride over the other flowers. They had grown so that they almost concealed Squall's body. Zell sighed as he approached Squall's "grave", realizing he didn't really need to be buried; he was safe under the protection of these flowers. For some reason he didn't really understand, he knew no harm would come to Squall here. He kneeled in front of the flowers and exhaled lightly, slowly beginning to speak.  
  
"Squall… you died nobly. You died a hero's death, fighting for something you believed in. And now, I'm fighting for something I believe in: your cause. If I die, I'll die fighting for your revenge. If I die, I'd hope against all odds that I'd be considered a hero too. But I can promise you now that I wont fail you, Squall. I swear."  
  
He stood up, holding Lionheart pointing upwards in salute. "Looks like this is goodbye, Squall." He turned and walked off, but then halted abruptly and turned to look over his shoulder at Squall's grave of flowers. "Or is it…?"  
  
He closed his eyes and walked back over to the rest of the group, who had been watching from a couple feet away. He closed his eyes slowly, taking a deep breath. "Lets go. We have to find Seifer." 


	4. Chapter IV: Love Blooming in the Midst ...

Chapter IV: Love – Blooming in the Midst of Battle  
  
Zell began to find Rinoa more and more attractive. He knew it wasn't him as Zell; it was Squall's spirit inside him. Either way, he knew it would be harder and harder to control himself the longer it took to restore Squall's spirit to peace. Everyone returned to Balamb Garden to rest up for the night. They, too, had a meeting in the cafeteria, as well as dinner. Zell let his mind wander, and found himself staring at Rinoa.  
  
And to his surprise, Rinoa was staring back at him.  
  
Zell, somewhat shocked, quickly averted his gaze to his food, making an attempt to eat. "She must've just spaced out," he said to himself. He had to make sure; he looked up again to see Rinoa smiling at him. Yet behind the bright smile there was still a sorrow hidden in her eyes. He sighed and stood up, feeling he had lost his appetite. He walked over to Rinoa's table and sat down across from her. "Yo…" he tried to remain as Zell-like as possible, although he was now finding it quite difficult. "Is something wrong?" Rinoa looked at him briefly before lowering her head to stare at her food, whispering to him. "C…Can we talk somewhere else?" Zell swallowed lightly and nodded, standing up and following Rinoa out of the cafeteria into the hallway.  
  
Zell leaned his back against the railing of the hallway, occasionally glancing into the pond of water that surrounded the hallways. "Yeah, what is it?" He managed to say, though somewhat nervously. Suddenly, Rinoa threw her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder, crying. Zell was compelled to put his arms around her – just for reassuring purposes, of course. "Hey, calm down… I miss Squall too." Zell held Rinoa closer, but this time it wasn't to be reassuring. "I'm scared… you're one of the friends I was closest to out of all of the others, and I don't want to end up losing you like I lost Squall…" Zell lost complete control of his body. Her voice enchanted him, and although her voice quivered with fear and sadness, there was a soft, sweet melody in it that Zell found comforting and soothing. There was a pleasant fragrance about her that made Zell's senses tingle. He exhaled slightly, feeling his heart rate increase. He closed his eyes and let his hand run through Rinoa's hair, knowing that this couldn't be only the work of Squall's spirit in him. He realized he always had feelings for Rinoa, but he had just regarded it as a strong friendship.  
  
He now knew what it really was.  
  
Rinoa pulled her head away from his shoulder and gazed up at Zell, her eyes slightly swollen from crying, with faintly red-tinted cheeks. "Zell… this isn't just a friendship anymore, is it…?"  
  
A soft smile tugged on Zell's lips and he shook his head slightly. "No… no, I guess not." Zell began to shift his weight, leaning forward to give Rinoa a kiss, when he suddenly pulled away. He was getting off task. I'm supposed to be avenging Squall, he thought to himself. But every second he spent with Rinoa, staring back into her beautiful, absorbing eyes, he felt himself more and more attached to her. He slowly pulled away from Rinoa and turned towards his dorm. Rinoa watched sadly, "So… you're leaving…?" was all she could manage to say. He nodded, and after he had taken a couple of steps, he heard Rinoa's voice behind him again: "Zell…" he stopped and turned around, looking at her. "Zell… not even one kiss?"  
  
They fell into each other's arms.  
  
When Zell came to his senses, it was morning. He was in his dorm, lying on his bed, lying beside a blissfully sleeping Rinoa. His eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God, did I…?" He glanced around nervously, to find that the sheets were still rather even, and the two of them had still had all their clothes on from the previous night. He let out a sigh of relief. He knew Squall would never have forgiven him if he and Rinoa had done the unspeakable the same day that he had died. He tried to think and restore his memory about the previous night, but all he could remember was holding Rinoa in his arms, feeling the sensation of Rinoa's kiss. He knew that they had managed to laugh and talk a little, but he couldn't remember what they had spoken about. He wanted to stay with Rinoa forever, but he knew it couldn't happen. He had a job to do. He let out a sigh and carefully placed a gentle kiss on Rinoa's lips, cautious not to awaken her. He knew Rinoa would want to help in the fight against Seifer, but Zell didn't want her to get hurt.  
  
Zell slowly got up out of his bed and stood up, reluctant to leave Rinoa. He quickly glanced down at his hand to see the Griever ring he had "borrowed" from Squall. Pulling it off carefully, he placed it in Rinoa's palm and closed her hand around it. "I'll be back," he whispered. "I promise."  
  
Making his way out of the dorm, he picked up Lionheart, stepped outside, and closed the door slowly, making sure not to disturb Rinoa's sleep. 


	5. Chapter V: Fun Before the Fray

Chapter V: Fun Before the Fray  
  
Zell slowly made his way out of Balamb Garden and into Fisherman's Horizon, getting onto one of the three stolen Galbadian Motorcycles that had been stolen during the invasion on FH. He heard two familiar voices behind him, along with two pairs of footsteps that he recognized all too well. One of them, the one closer to him, sounded of cowboy boots, the other of high- heeled boots. He turned around to see his thoughts confirmed; there were Irvine and Quistis, running towards him. Quistis looked at Zell worriedly, managing to say after she caught her breath, "Zell, you can't go alone. We know you want to avenge Squall, but there's three of them and one of you. You'd never survive, Zell." Irvine nodded in agreement, quickly speaking before Zell could manage any word of protest. "Besides, three of us will assure more damage done, and you DO want revenge on Seifer, right? You know…" he nudged Zell in the side with his elbow lightly, "after all he's done to hurt Rinoa…" Zell looked in surprise at Irvine, and then at Quistis, who couldn't help but smile and laugh softly into her hand. "How did you guys know?" He asked, with a puzzled look. Irvine smirked with a laugh, shaking his head. "We all knew. It was obvious after you and Rinoa left the cafeteria at the same time. Besides, I checked in your dorm a little while before we left and Rinoa was sleeping on your bed." His smirk grew wider. "You two didn't… do anything, right?" But at this, his tone grew serious. "Because if Squall knew, he'd have you dead in a heartbeat." Zell let out a sigh and shook his head. "No, we didn't." He was getting extremely uncomfortable, and made a quick decision to change the subject. "We have to get going. Seifer's waiting." Irvine and Quistis both nodded, each getting on one of the remaining Galbadian Motorcycles. The trio set the engines ablaze, and roared off down the long bridge that connected Fisherman's Horizon to the rest of the world. They made their way through mild forests, down huge valleys, through arid deserts, and over vast plains.  
  
Finally, a large red building came into view, with a huge disc rotating around its base. But there was one final problem: Galbadia Garden was suspended, floating, in the air. Irvine and Quistis glanced at each other worriedly, but Zell didn't seem too worried. Zell circled around in front of G-Garden several times, as though he were looking for something. Suddenly, he jammed the throttle on his motorcycle to full, even applying what little afterburner was left, heading for a large incline. Irvine and Quistis watched in terror as Zell's bike left the ground and went soaring, sky-high, into the air. He pulled his body forward and did a mid-air handstand on the handlebars, shoving off the bike at the peak of his jump. He now flew, with no bike, and nothing to catch him if he didn't make it all the way. All the while, a loud "OOOOHHHHH YEEEAAAAAHHHH!!!!" could be heard.  
  
Irvine laughed as he saw Zell land at the open entrance to Galbadia Garden. He glanced at Quistis with a look that said, 'I bet you can't do it.' And she returned his glance with a mocking stare of defiance, 'We'll find out now, won't we, boy?' Quistis grinned and slammed the throttle on her bike, speeding towards the ramp, an excited Irvine following close behind, almost as though they were racing. Both bikes left the ground and soared into the air, only to be abandoned by their riders in mid-flight and come crashing back down to earth, causing small explosions where they landed. Both Irvine and Quistis laughed as they soared through the air and landed into the entrance of G-Garden. Quistis, despite that she was wearing high- heels, landed elegantly, but Irvine, on the other hand, landed on his feet, but wasn't expecting a rough landing and thus, rolled on the ground upon impact. He hit against the wall lightly with a thud, sighing as he heard Zell and Quistis laugh. Irvine sat up, looking out the entrance to Galbadia Garden, to see his tan cowboy hat floating down to the ground. He sighed as he looked back over to Zell and Quistis. "Oh well, I guess we'll get it when we leave…" 


	6. Chapter VI: Infiltration

Chapter VI: Infiltration  
  
Zell, Irvine and Quistis each readied their weapons, knowing that they would come in contact with some very unfriendly hosts. Zell constantly kept a firm grip on Lionheart, walking down the many hallways of the large and extensive Galbadia Garden. Irvine kept glancing around nervously, holding his rifle, Exeter, at ready. The entire Garden had gone incredibly dark, but for what reason nobody could tell. Despite reassurance from Quistis that things would be okay until they came into contact with Seifer, Fujin and Raijin, Zell had a constant feeling that something had gone incredibly wrong. Upon their last visit to Galbadia Garden, the rooms and hallways had been filled with monsters, and now there were none. Irvine continuously denied and argued that he was just uncomfortable because his hat was gone, but it was obvious that he was a little nervous himself; his voice and the look in his eyes showed it. Because there were no monsters roaming about, they reached the center hall of the Garden with ease; the same place where they had found the GF Cerberus. Zell looked around warily, although he was beginning to let his guard down a little. Nothing had happened to them, and he was beginning to suspect that Seifer and his friends might not even be there at the moment. Zell took a couple steps deeper into the room and sheathed Lionheart, just in time to see Fujin's pinwheel fly narrowly past his head, striking Irvine in the chest and knocking him to the floor. Zell let out a yell of surprise and pulled out Lionheart again, facing the direction that the pinwheel came from and slowly backing up towards Irvine, who had been knocked out cold from the sheer force along with the element of surprise from the blow. The next thing he heard was a cut-off yell from Quistis, who had been slammed unconscious by Raijin. Seifer leapt from the balcony and landed in front of Zell, with his gunblade drawn and pointed directly at Zell's face. Zell took several steps back, holding his own gunblade ready. Seifer shook his head with a smirk, staring coldly at him. "You should've known better than to just walk right in here. Where are your manners?" Zell shook his head, raising Lionheart a little. "My manners? Gone. Just like Squall. Just like you will be." Zell let out a loud yell, rushing towards Seifer.  
  
Seifer shifted his weight to his back leg, quickly pulling his gunblade back and blocking a forceful attack from Zell. Raijin and Fujin immediately came to his side, but Seifer shook his head, yelling out between clenched teeth, "Leave us! This is between the two of us!" Raijin and Fujin exchanged nervous glances and slowly backed away. Seifer raised his gunblade upwards and brought it down at Zell's head, only to have the downward slash blocked and quickly parried. Zell spun to the side, pulling his gunblade to the left, leaving a gash in Seifer's side. With a yell of pain, Seifer leapt backwards, spinning his gunblade as he dashed at Zell, thrusting his gunblade forward at his throat. Zell kept calm and focused, remaining undaunted by Seifer as he stepped backwards and knocked the stab attempt to the side. The battle continued for hours that seemed like an eternity; exchanging blows and blocks, constantly switching attack positions and block positions in hopes of gaining an advantage, but all to no avail. They were both almost equal, with the exception of the slash that Zell had managed to lay into Seifer's left side. Raijin and Fujin had been ordered to leave the Garden with the unconscious Irvine and Quistis so that their fight wouldn't be interfered with. Zell and Seifer found themselves at an impasse. Neither of them could find a way to slash, stab or strike that would in any way even do so much as pierce the other. After several hours, there they stood, each holding gunblade in hand, gasping heavily for breath, each with their non-sword hand against their leg or waist for support. Zell was quite surprised; Seifer actually had decided to fight fairly. In a sense Zell was proud of him, and yet a little upset that Seifer had managed to parry all his blows except for one without using any form of trickery or magic. Once they had both caught their breath, they spun their gunblades again and rushed at each other, head on, each yelling a battle cry in anticipation of the kill that should have happened long ago. 


	7. Chapter VII: Wishing Star

Chapter VII: Wishing Star  
  
Rinoa stood, leaning against the wall of the balcony of Zell's dorm room. The view wasn't as magnificent as it usually was because instead of drifting around in the air, Balamb Garden had been settled at Fisherman's Horizon for some time. She let out a sigh as the ocean breeze ran its unseen fingers through her hair, silently whispering Zell's name to her. She wondered what could be taking so long, and for a moment, feared that Zell could have been killed. She stared off into space, imagining watching Seifer's gunblade pierce Zell's chest just as it had been with Squall. She was awakened from her daydream nightmare when a drop of rain landed softly on her face, on her cheek right underneath her eye, and then rolling off as though it were a tear. Letting out another sigh, she decided to turn in for the night. Just before she left, she saw a shooting star fly across the moonlit night sky. She closed her eyes and whispered, more out into the night than to herself. "Please. let Zell come back to us. back to me. alive." She opened her eyes slowly as several more drops of rain began to fall onto her body, opening the door that connected Zell's room and his balcony and walking inside, closing the curtains but leaving the door slightly open to let the air in the room ventilate.  
  
She was just about to sit down in Zell's cushioned rolling-chair when she heard a knock at the door. "Zell!" She cried to herself, and ran towards the door, flinging it open, only to see Irvine and Quistis. She felt her heart sink and sighed. "Oh. hey." Was all that she had managed to say - she expected to see Zell, and instead there were Irvine and Quistis? Where could Zell possibly be? Hadn't he left with the two of them? Irvine looked at her with a solemn, grim look, but maintained his usual spirit. "Yeah. 'Oh. hey.' Well, gee, I'm really glad to see you too." Quistis jammed her elbow into Irvine's side and he instantly snapped his mouth shut. "Rinoa, I'm sorry, but we were knocked unconscious during our time inside Galbadia Garden, and when we came to, we were lying on the ground below the garden and we had no other way to get in. We tried to cast Float on ourselves repeatedly, but it didn't work as great as we'd hoped. I'm sorry, Rinoa, but Zell wasn't with us when we came around. Irvine was the first to get knocked out, and I was the second. I don't know if they got Zell or not. He may still be in there." Rinoa was shocked. She shook her head quickly, "No! He had to have been there, you just must not have seen him!" But then she realized exactly how hard it was to lose Zell; he would have been easier to track than a giant Behemoth. He made hard footsteps and often flipped and did tricks when he ran. If Irvine and Quistis hadn't seen Zell, then they hadn't seen Zell. She felt her heart sink. "So. Zell's still in there? I don't know if he'll be safe. What if he gets killed?" Rinoa slowly closed the door, leaving Irvine and Quistis out in the hall.  
  
Rinoa walked to Zell's bed and sat down on the side, letting out a long, drawn out sigh. She slid back a little on the bed, bringing her legs up and hugging them against her chest. Closing her eyes, she let a few tears roll down her cheeks as she continued to try and reassure herself that Zell would be alright. She opened her eyes again towards the balcony doors just in time to see another shooting star shoot across the sky, although its light was somewhat dimmed from the rain, which gradually grew stronger over time. She slowly let go of her knees and put her feet back on the floor, standing up and walking over to the balcony doors and closing them to keep out the rain before returning to the bed the way she was. Shutting her eyes, she began to mourn even though she had no real proof Zell was dead. Zell hadn't returned, and being dead would have caused him not to return; it was all the same to Rinoa at this point.  
  
Just when things couldn't seem to become worse, she heard the balcony doors open. Her eyes shot open as she grabbed her blaster edge, the Shooting Star, with trails of tears still apparent on her cheeks. Keeping her eyes on the door, she saw the figure slowly move in against the curtains and she readied Shooting Star. A gloved hand. gloves with the fingers cut off, reached over the curtains as a lock of blonde hair moved into view. Soon, Zell stood there, soaking wet from the rain, looking at Rinoa. Rinoa dropped her blaster edge, and returned Zell's gaze. A soft smile played on her lips as she leapt off the bed and ran into his arms, not caring that he was soaking from the rain. Rinoa hugged him tightly, and Zell put his arms around her comfortingly, smiling lightly. He whispered softly, "Sorry if I worried you." Rinoa looked up at him. "Worried? You have no idea, I thought you might have been killed!" Rinoa buried her face in his chest and Zell let out a sigh, pulling Rinoa close reassuringly. "I'm very much alive. but, unfortunately. so is Seifer." He glanced upwards from Rinoa and stared off, deep in thought. Rinoa looked up at him worriedly, a slight frown on her face. "Hey, are you alright.?" Zell shook his head, shaken from his trance, and smiled at Rinoa warmly. "Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll be fine." Rinoa returned his smile with her own, pulling herself closer against Zell's body. "Good. You have no idea how worried I was." Zell gave her a warm smile and held her closer. "Don't worry. I promise to be a little more careful next time." Rinoa laughed and grinned, looking up at him. "Now those are a few words that I never thought I'd hear come out of your mouth, Zell Dincht." 


	8. Chapter VIII: Save the Queen

Chapter VIII: Save the Queen  
  
After everyone at Balamb Garden went to sleep, Zell decided to get out of bed and have a little workout in the training center. He had gotten enough sleep; he was knocked out by Seifer and was lucky enough to have Seifer's pity - a rare thing, especially towards SeeD cadets. Zell carefully got out of bed, making sure not to awaken Rinoa. He stopped for a moment, admiring at the blissful look of peace on her face. After he snapped out of his daydream, he picked up Lionheart and locked the sheath onto his belt, making his way out of his dorm and through the halls. As he walked through the hall leading to the main center of Garden, amongst the many sounds of the night, crickets chirping, the occasional hoot of an owl, he heard motors. This wasn't extremely surprising, however. Garden was, after all, docked beside Fisherman's Horizon, and who knew what kind of weird things happened there. Shrugging it off, Zell continued to make his way to the Training Center. Making his way in, he almost immediately came in contact with the most notorious monster in the Training Center: a T- Rexaur. Reaching his right arm over to the left side of his waist, he placed his gloved hand on the hilt of his gunblade, pulling it from the sheath, letting the metal ring. The T-Rexaur turned and whipped at Zell with its tail, but Zell, reacting quickly, leaped backwards, and arched his back, placing the palms of his hands on the ground, doing a backflip. As he landed and was just about to counterattack, he heard a cry for help. His eyes widened as he placed the voice: "Rinoa!" he yelled out in surprise and fury.  
  
Turning and running from his battle, he headed towards his dormitory, sprinting down the halls as fast as his legs could carry him. Slamming the door to his dormitory open, he heard motors revving once again. Rinoa wasn't on her place in the bed. The doors to his balcony had been opened and wind stir caused the curtains to lift. Dashing to the balcony, he looked out just in time to see a car begin to pull out of Fisherman's Horizon, Raijin driving, Fujin in the shotgun passenger seat, and Seifer holding his gunblade against Rinoa's neck in the back seat. He heard another cry of help from Rinoa, barely distinguishable over the sound of the motor, and heard it fade as the car disappeared into the night.  
  
Infuriated and frustrated, Zell forced himself to keep his cool. This was one situation he had to handle on his own, but he needed more equipment than just some gloves and a gunblade. Making his way through the halls of the dorm areas once again, he slowly opened the door to the dorm in which Irvine slept, making as little noise as possible as he grabbed the first rifle he could find; Irvine's second best rifle, Bismarck. Leaving, he also stopped by Quistis' room and took up her whip, Save the Queen. He smiled to himself as he thought about the name. "That's exactly what I'm about to do," he said to himself. "Save my queen." Making his way out of Garden and into Fisherman's Horizon, he allowed to himself to lose his cool again now that nobody he knew was going to hear him. Cursing, he mounted a motorcycle and revved the engines, blasting off down the bridge, the wind from his speed causing the portion of his hair that naturally stood up to blow down against the rest of his hair. Pushing the motorcycle to its limit, he was a blur to everything that kept still. At his speeds of almost 200 mph, he kept in a straight-line path as much as possible, knowing that a change of direction too hard could hurl him off the bike from momentum. As Galbadia Garden came into view, he slammed the throttle and afterburner, shooting off the incline towards the entrance of the Garden, again abandoning his bike and leaping off, but there was no cry of enjoyment this time. Seifer had kidnapped Rinoa, and probably wouldn't hesitate to kill her if that was what it took to pull Zell and his SeeD companions apart, or at least into depression, allowing him time to pick them off one by one.  
  
Landing at the entrance to G-Garden, he stood still for a moment and let his adrenaline level calm itself. Pulling out Bismarck, he spun it in his hands to get the feel of the rifle. He kept a collection of rifles in his room all the time; old rifles given to him by distant relatives. He knew how to handle it and how to take the recoil. Loading it full with Armor Piercing ammo, he kept it in his right hand, just in case.  
  
G-Garden, again, had changed. There were still no monsters, but apparently Seifer had hired Galbadian soldiers to keep him safe. Once Zell realized this, he groaned slightly to himself. "Great, so now I'm an espionage agent with a cause." Making his way through the hallways as quietly as possible, he slowly approached a turn in the hallway. Pressing his back against the wall, he inched towards the gap in the wall where he could continue his way towards Seifer. Taking a quick glance past the wall to take a brief view of what it was like with guards everywhere, he pulled his head back behind the wall and sighed, shaking his head. "Seifer's definitely not wanting guests this time of day, I guess." Taking a deep breath, he locked Irvine's old rifle, Bismarck. "Okay Zell. Be careful. There's guards all over the place, and-" He stopped talking for a moment, thinking. "What the hell am I talking about? I'm Zell, for crying out loud! I don't take precautions.!" Zell quickly unloaded the Armor Piercing ammo and locked in Normal Ammo. He grinned, his eyes brightening with renewed vigor. Spinning the rifle, he did a quick jump out move from behind the wall and aimed at the closest guard to him, pulling back the trigger and sending the bullet, a wad of burning metal, straight at the guard's stomach. He heard a groan and watched the guard collapse to the ground.  
  
Zell had blown his cover, but he didn't care. Quickly running down the hall, he held his arm straight out, sending bullets flying. Several Galbadian riflemen shot after him, but Zell was stealthy; he always was. He quickly spun 180 degrees, now running backwards, facing the riflemen that were shooting at him. Jumping upwards, he lifted his right leg upwards and held his arm under it, sending off bullets at the riflemen, striking each squarely in the chest. Pulling his arm back into the regular position, he landed, turning to his right side so that he was facing the side that he hadn't covered while running in. Doing a no-hands cartwheel, he shot at the remaining guards. Landing on both feet, he lifted up his left hand, covered in his brawling glove, to return the front of his hair to its naturally standing up position. He smirked, walking forward casually towards the other side of the room, but then suddenly heard footsteps. Quickly regaining his prior stealthy nature, he sprinted to the wall next to the hallway he heard the footsteps coming from. He saw another Galbadian guard step into the hallway, listening to him curse under his breath as he saw each soldier dead. Zell quickly took this opportunity to leap against him, slamming him to the ground as he pulled Bismarck against his head.  
  
"Where is Seifer keeping Rinoa!?" Zell yelled out in a fury. The guard, petrified of losing his life like the guards that were in the room, quickly blurted out, to the best of his ability, "S-S-Seifer's, w-waiting in the c- conference room!" Zell nodded. Holding out his hands, he closed his eyes and whispered out softly, "Draw: Cast Break!" Slowly, he watched as the guard's body began to solidify into stone. Zell smiled a little "Don't worry, I'll be back and I'll bring you out of it as soon as I'm done here." He smirked as he ran off through the center square, and up a flight of stairs as he approached the doors. Sliding one bullet of Armor Piercing ammo into Bismarck, he aimed at the door and pulled the trigger forcefully, letting the bullet slam into the door and force it to crumble into several thousand pieces. He heard Rinoa scream, and, as the smoke cleared, could clearly see Seifer sitting on the couch, holding a horrified Rinoa captive, with a gunblade against her neck.  
  
"Well well, Zell. It's about time you came like the knight in shining armor you're supposed to be." Seifer smirked, pressing the gunblade a bit harder against Rinoa's neck. Zell's eyes burned with rage as he held out Bismarck, aiming it directly at Seifer's head. "Let her go! Now!" Seifer pulled Rinoa in front of him, standing up now. He placed Rinoa's head directly in front of hers. "Shoot, Zell! I dare you to!" narrowing his eyes, Zell curled his lips in anger. Doing a quick no-hands cartwheel to his right, he shot down near Seifer's leg, missing on purpose. Seifer yelled out, not expecting Zell to miss. Seifer turned around, letting Rinoa go in surprise. Zell, seizing his chance, lunged at Seifer, tackling him to the ground. He yelled out as he held Seifer down "Rinoa! Go! Don't worry about me!" He laid a fierce punch into the left cheek of Seifer's face with his right hand. Seifer, reaching to Zell's collar with his right hand, grabbed a handful of it and twisted it, pulling Zell's face closer to his. "Oh, I'd worry if I were her. Because this place is rigged with enough explosives to blow it out of the sky." Rinoa cried out and began to run down the halls. Zell, pulling back from Seifer's grasp, picked up Seifer and hurled him against a wall, laying another strong punch into his stomach. He turned around and sprinted hard, as he heard a click from Seifer's direction and an explosion immediately following. Zell, regardless, continued to run as hard as his legs would carry him. He heard Rinoa cry out as they reached the center square, which was the first thing to go as a result of the explosives. As huge portions of the walls continued to burst, Zell turned around, hearing Seifer running after him with gunblade drawn.  
  
Thinking quickly, Zell pulled out Quistis' whip, Save the Queen. He turned around so that his back faced Seifer, looking out quickly around the room. Spotting a low-hanging light bar in the middle of the ceiling, he instantly snapped the whip at the bar, yelling out "Hang on, Rinoa!" Rinoa quickly turned around and grabbed onto Zell, watching Seifer come closer at an incredible rate, holding Zell tightly as he jumped. Zell felt the force of a swing of Seifer's gunblade through the air, and heard the back of his jacket rip. Fortunately, Zell and Rinoa were already moving through the hall. As they swung through the air amidst burning smoke and flames from explosions, Zell turned around and unleashed a huge salvo of bullets with Bismarck. "Here's a little somethin' that my friend Laguna likes to call Desperado!" he felt the whip loosen as the reached the other side, and he landed on the edge of the hallway with both feet, coiling the whip back up. Lifting Rinoa off her feet and carrying her, he sprinted down the hall and leapt out the entrance, sending the two of them plummeting through the air as he yelled out "Draw: Cast Float!" their fall gradually slowed and brought them to the ground at an easier rate. Landing, Rinoa threw her arms around Zell as the magnificent building in the sky crumbled under its own influence and blew up one last time in a magnificent explosion. 


	9. Chapter IX: Closest to Heaven

Chapter IX: Closest to Heaven  
  
There they stood, a practically inseparable couple, holding each other in their arms as bits and chunks of combined metal, ash and dust dropped through the sky and landed on the ground around them. Galbadia Garden had been destroyed. Zell pulled away a bit, smiling into Rinoa's eyes and opening his mouth slightly and hesitating, trying to put into words what he was preparing to say. Reading the situation exactly, Rinoa smiled and pressed a finger against Zell's lips softly, smiling. "I know, Zell... I love you too." Her smile grew wider as she pulled her finger away from his lips. Sighing and shaking his head a bit, Zell muttered softly in sarcastic discontent, "I was supposed to be the one to say that first..." Rinoa laughed gently and nodded, "yeah, I know, but that's no fun." They both laughed and held each other, making their way back towards Fisherman's Horizon.  
  
It was morning now, several long hours after Zell had decided to leave to save Rinoa. Everyone was frantic, specifically Irvine and Quistis. Irvine was pissed off about having Bismarck taken, while Quistis was the one who was worrying about where they were more than worrying about her weapon. As Irvine and Quistis sat in the cafeteria discussing what could've happened, Selphie continually seemed to hover around them, maintaining her usual carefree spirit, quite sure that Zell and Rinoa hadn't gotten hurt or anything, so she poked a little bit of fun at the two. Irvine couldn't stop venting about Bismarck. "I can't believe he took it without asking! I would've let him borrow it if he asked!" Selphie grinned and popped in, "maybe he sold it at a pawn shop! Or maybe he had it disassembled!" Irvine grew incredibly tense, much to Selphie's amusement. Quistis was solely worried that they might have made a premature decision in their relationship. So, deciding to take advantage, Selphie, not meaning to be intrusive, but just to poke fun, chirped, "Rinoa Heartilly Dincht! I betcha they eloped! Mrs. Zell Dincht!" Quistis couldn't wait for Zell to return so that she could beat the living stuffing out of him.  
  
Finally, after several minutes - what seemed like hours to Irvine and Quistis - Zell and Rinoa returned to Garden, walking towards Irvine and Quistis. Zell, on Rinoa's left, had his right arm looped around her waist, and waved at the three SeeD cadets waiting for them. Irvine and Quistis leapt to their feet, rushing towards the couple. Irvine quickly snatched his rifle back from Zell, and Quistis wrenched Rinoa from Zell's grasp, grabbing Rinoa's left hand and checking to see if she had a ring. Seeing nothing wrong with the situation, both of them calmed. After elbowing Selphie lightly in the side, they asked what had happened. Zell and Rinoa explained the whole situation.  
  
After they had finished, Zell stood up and stretched. "Yep... well.. I think I'm gonna go relax or something..." He headed out of the cafeteria and towards the dorms, followed by Rinoa, their words inaudible from where the rest of the group was. Approaching Zell's dorm room, he smiled to Rinoa and gave her a soft kiss. "I think I'm gonna go for a ride in the Ragnarok, care to join me?" Smiling brightly, Rinoa nodded as Zell opened the door and closed it after Rinoa had gone in after him. Opening the doors to his balcony, he leapt off, down to the outer walkways of Garden. Rinoa quickly followed, and, holding Zell's hand, they made their way into Fisherman's Horizon, into the center square where Mayor Dobe's residence was, and boarded Ragnarok.  
  
As the airship and spaceship lifted into the sky and the engines whirred, propelling the giant ship forward, the clear blue sky of the world around them seemed to remain still; the ground below them was the only thing that moved. Setting the control into a continuous forward auto-pilot, Zell and Rinoa went into the conference room to avoid the wind but still be able to experience the sights of the world flying past as they embraced. They stayed there, down in the conference room until the next morning, their passionate kisses exchanging the pledge of love that words could never begin to express. 


	10. Chapter X: The Final Duel

Chapter X: The Final Duel  
  
As Zell and Rinoa flew through the air aboard Ragnarok, their cares and worries seemed to subside. However, as they rose from their moments of passion as morning broke over the horizon, everything seemed to come back like they had awakened from a dream. Zell's eyes widened as he saw thick black clouds of smoke trailing in the sky off in the distance. As Ragnarok soared closer, he realized that Seifer, Fujin and Raijin, in a last ditch effort to try and pull the SeeDs apart, were setting Matron's field on fire! Zell and Rinoa quickly rushed back to the cockpit of Ragnarok and Zell set it down beside Matron's residence. Quickly rushing off the airship, Zell pulled Lionheart into his hands, and Rinoa readied Shooting Star. Quistis ran closely behind, though out of breath. "I saw the flames. I'm always the first to wake up, so I'm sure everyone else will be here eventually. I didn't wake them up because I was in such a rush..."  
  
Zell nodded, but knew that Irvine and Selphie enjoyed sleeping in, and was unsure whether or not they would show. Zell had a right to protect Matron's home, and more importantly, Squall's grave. Most of the field had been burned to ashes already, but Seifer and his crew stopped upon noticing the arrival of Zell. Seifer, pulling out his gunblade, sprinted towards Zell, holding it out in position to strike. Zell charged forward to meet Seifer, and their blades clashed. At the same moment, Fujin swung her pinwheel at Rinoa, and Raijin began to swing his staff at Quistis. Rinoa, caught off guard but still in time, spun to her right and, as she recovered, brought her arm out in front of her and shot off Shooting Star, watching as it cut Fujin fiercely across the shoulder. Quistis, similarly, evaded Raijin's attempts to attack and cracked her whip across his body.  
  
Zell was gaining ground on Seifer. Gritting his teeth, Seifer tried desperately to hold his ground, but found it increasingly difficult; Zell had improved greatly and all Seifer could do was block and parry. Seifer yelled out for some assistance, but nothing happened. Fujin and Raijin were busy with their own matters. Finally, Seifer managed to break away from Zell's furious, yet cool-tempered and well-placed attacks. Casting a Haste spell on himself to bring him up to par and slightly beyond the speed of Zell's attacks, he began to gain the upper hand. Zell, however, did not seem daunted by Seifer's arrogant show of poor sportsmanship. Zell also increased his tempo, but without using any form of magic. The two gunblade specialists fought it out amidst smoke and flame, sweat rolling down their faces.  
  
Rinoa and Quistis had made short waste of Fujin and Raijin. They continued to fight, but it was obvious who would emerge victorious from the small skirmish. Fighting side by side, the duo of femme fatales was not to be trifled with. However, even though Rinoa and Quistis were on the winning side, they too, were beginning to tire out. Out of breath, Rinoa called for her well-trusted dog, Angelo. Rushing into battle, Angelo laid in the final strike that brought Fujin down. Quistis, however, was not so timid. As quiet and self-kept as Quistis seemed, when matters grew serious, so did her attitude. Her eyes flashed as she called out Shockwave Pulsar. Raijin, unable to withstand the incredible attack, collapsed, unconscious.  
  
Seifer, was again, beginning to lose ground. Zell could feel himself about to be able to lay in one slash - just one slash that would drop Seifer to the ground. Seifer, sensing this, again, turned tail and ran. But Zell would not be fooled; holding Lionheart near his face, just under his eyes, a lion symbol - Griever - appeared as an engraved mark on the blade of Lionheart. Pointing Lionheart in Seifer's direction, a beam of light shot from the blade, rapidly expanding in width and length. Slamming into Seifer's back, it knocked him off his balance and sent him tumbling forward. He hit the ground hard, and lost his breath. Zell, stopping Blasting Zone, rushed towards Seifer and put his foot on the middle of Seifer's upper torso. Flame burned behind Zell's eyes as he began Renzokuken. "This one's for Squall!" He slashed. "This one's for Rinoa!" He slashed. "This one's for SeeD!" He slashed. "This one's for Matron!" He slashed.  
  
Raising Lionheart in all its glory, he spun it in his hand and brought it across Seifer's face one last time, fiercely and forcefully, causing Seifer to turn his head from the force as blood flowed freely from the wounds on his torso and face. "And that one's for me!"  
  
As Seifer's life began to fade, so did the smoke. Rain began to fall, seemingly out of nowhere. The flames began to vanish and, surprisingly enough, the plants had spontaneously grown back, as though they had never even been touched. Seifer's death was marked by a roll of thunder in the sky and a flash of lightning on the horizon, even though no clouds were in sight. Finally having avenged Squall, Zell let out a long, staggered sigh. He felt Squall's voice, and knew that Rinoa could hear it as well:  
  
Fire, prepared to strike.  
  
Flames that burn and singe the rose.  
  
Strong, the rose prevails.  
  
Tears of the heavens,  
  
Washing out sorrow and pain.  
  
Angels roam again.  
  
Heart of the Lion,  
  
Strong, courageous, undaunted;  
  
Such is Griever's soul.  
  
Both Zell and Rinoa knew that Squall would be at rest now. Zell approached Squall's grave of flowers, and pulled the Griever necklace off his neck, slowly opening the grave of flowers. Placing the necklace in Squall's hand, he pulled his hand away as the grave closed up once again. Now joined by Rinoa and Quistis, he put his arm around Rinoa and knew that, although Squall was dead, Zell's vengeance to Seifer had put Squall's spirit to rest. Placing a soft kiss on Zell's cheek, Rinoa held herself close to him. She looked at Zell and Quistis and said softly, "C'mon, guys. Our job here's done. Let's go home." And there was no argument; the trio walked out of Matron's residence, but did not board Ragnarok. They walked, instead, in a cheerful, yet somber mood, talking about the experience. 


End file.
